


Corner of the World 17: Shifting Alliances

by serafina20



Series: Corner of the World [18]
Category: Smallville
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-06
Updated: 2011-03-06
Packaged: 2017-10-16 03:29:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/167941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serafina20/pseuds/serafina20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dominic makes an offer to Lex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Corner of the World 17: Shifting Alliances

Damien pressed his lips into a thin line as he let Clark into the mansion Sunday morning, which was why Clark figured that something was wrong. He'd only known Lex's assistant for a couple months, but in that time, Damien had always been fairly impassive. Clark had kept count: Damien had frowned twice, smiled three times, and twitched his eyebrow any number of times. But he'd never thinned his lips, and looked somber.

"Is something wrong?" Clark asked, handing Damien his coat.

Damien's right eyebrow twitched. "It's not my place to say, sir. Mr. Luthor is in his room."

Nodding, Clark said, "Thanks," then jogged upstairs. It must not be very serious; at least, Lex was probably ok. Damien usually told him if Lex was sick.

So, if Lex wasn't sick or hurt, what was wrong? Or was his imagination running away with him?

"Guess not," he said to himself when he finally saw his lover.

Lex was standing inside his closet, wearing his pajama top, black socks, and a pair of boxers. He was facing his shirts, arms hanging loosely at his sides. As Clark walked inside, he could see that Lex's gaze was far away from the closet in which he was standing. He was paler than normal, eyes distant.

"Lex?" Clark said softly.

Lex blinked, eyes slowly returning from eternity. He turned towards Clark.

He shivered; it almost felt like Lex was looking right through him, reacting only to the sound of his voice.

"Clark. Hi," Lex said. He smiled briefly, then turned back to his shirts.

Cautiously approaching him, Clark asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you acting weird?"

"Am I? I don't mean to. I just have a lot on my mind." He blinked suddenly, inhaling sharply. "Shit. I'm supposed to take you shopping today." Grimacing he turned back to Clark.

Clark's stomach clenched. "Yeah. For the gala." He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess you can't?"

"I'm so sorry, angel, I really am." He slid his arms around Clark's waist. "I'd rather take you shopping. I really would. It's just ..." Lex trailed off, licking his lips.

Reading the trepidation in his eyes, Clark guessed, "Your dad called, didn't he?"

Lex nodded. "He wants me to come for lunch. Not even a business lunch. Just ... lunch at the house."

"Why?" Clark ran his hand over Lex's skull, caressing the skin gently.

"He didn't say. Just asked me to come." He bit his lip, then put his head on Clark's shoulder. "I had forgotten what day it was until he called."

"What day is it?"

"The day I almost died. Well, the day I almost died of something that wasn't a car accident." He turned his head, resting his cheek on Clark's chest. "Last year I was in the hospital with pneumonia. The fluid in my lungs ... started drowning me. It was close. That's when Dad pulled me out of school for good."

Clark held Lex tight, running his fingers up Lex's spine. "You never told me that."

"It's not something I want to think about. Ever."

"Are you going to be ok? I mean, I could go with you, if you like," Clark offered.

Lex shook his head, pulling away. "No. I don't want him anywhere near you. I can go in alone; I'll be fine. I just ... I can't take you shopping." He turned, and pulled a shirt off a hanger. "I got a call this morning; an acquaintance asked me to meet him to discuss business. I had planned to go to Metropolis early, then have you come up with Damien later. But with Dad in the picture ... after I get done with him, I'll have to go directly to the museum to make sure everything is in order. So our day is blown."

Buttoning his shirt, Lex walked to the other side of the closet, pulling down a pair of pants. "I am really, truly sorry, Clark. I swear I'll make this up to you."

Shrugging, Clark dropped his eyes. "Don't worry about it. I mean, it's fine. I have clothes I could wear, I guess. I just ... I wanted to look special."

Lex's hand was on his cheek, caressing lovingly. "You will always be special. And always look special. You would look more beautiful wearing a potato sack than anybody else in the world wearing designer clothes."

He blushed, and kissed Lex's palm. "You still want me to come?"

"Yes."

"I won't wear a potato sack," he promised.

Laughing, Lex pulled Clark to him, and kissed him.

Clark clung to him tightly, forcing his disappointment down. It didn't really matter; after all, he was still going to the gala. He was going to spend the evening with Lex; everything would be fine, new clothes or not.  
***

Lex banged on the door so hard it shook. Smiling tightly, he stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. Frustrated and angry, he made no attempt to compose his face into pleasanter lines. He wanted to occupant of the apartment to know he was in a foul mood.

Damien would be so disappointed. Well, Lex assumed that he would be; his assistant would never actually let Lex know what he was feeling. But disappointment would fit the current situation. After all, Damien had advised him to approach this meeting guarded, but receptive.

"Don't reveal your feelings, or let him get the upper hand. You have the power in this relationship; make sure he understands that," he said, handing Lex his coat before he left.

Lex had every intention of following his assistant's advice. However, the closer he got to Metropolis, the angrier he got at being robbed of his day with Clark. When he finally reached his destination, his temper was high and he was in no mood to be nice.

Growling deep in his throat, Lex banged on the door again.

It opened.

"You called. I came. What do you want?" Lex demanded.

Dominic raised an eyebrow. Stepping back, he said, "Please, come in."

He rolled his eyes as he brushed past Dominic. The apartment was spacious and well decorated, obviously professionally done. It was designed to impress guests with Dominic's money and good taste. Even so, it had a touch of humanity and a bit of his personality - such as it was. It was something that was only now beginning to seep into Lex's home in Smallville.

He'd only recently begun to think of it as his "home." It was still a strange concept.

Beneath the window was a small serving table, loaded with pastries, fruit, and drink. Lex raised his eyebrow at the amount, wondering how much Dominic thought he could eat.

Dominic brushed past him, going to the table. "Would you like a drink? Coffee, tea, juice?"

Lex locked eyes with Dominic, walking close. "Orange juice will be fine."

Licking his lips, Dominic poured Lex his drink. "Did you want something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry, thanks." Their fingertips brushed as Lex accepted the glass. "What's going on, Dom? Why did you call me?"

"Can't you guess?"

Lex smirked. "I don't guess."

"You know then?"

"I speculated, made hypothesizes based on what I know, but I haven't come up with anything good. I don't think you'd be stupid enough to call me out here and try to seduce me. If this is some ploy of my father's, I don't see the point. And ... well, other ideas come to mind, but they're all unsubstantiated. Idle speculation. Something that I don't indulge in much, nor share with my rivals."

Dominic smiled. "I'm not your rival, Lex."

"Yes. You are."

"Then I am hoping to change that."

"How?"

"By making an arrangement with you."

Lex sipped his drink. By now his anger had faded and was replaced by curiosity. His face relaxed into the casually interested and seductive looked he often used around people he knew would be receptive. And Dominic had always been receptive.

"A business arrangement?" Lex asked carefully. "Or ... personal?"

Dominic smiled. "Isn't it all intertwined, Lex?"

Lex inclined his head in acknowledgment.

Taking a deep breath, Dominic said, "Your father is a powerful man. But his power is declining."

"Oh?"

"You know what I am talking about. He's slipping, allowing small accidents to happen, and not taking the proper steps to bury them. Making bad investments, cutting ties that should never be cut. He is distracted, emotional. Sloppy."

"You've noticed," Lex drawled. He walked to the couch, and sat.

"The fiasco at the Smallville plant is only part of it. Two years ago he would never have allowed that to happen. There was plenty of time to silence Jenkins, but Lionel didn't take the steps. I didn't even hear of the accident until Earl Jenkins talked to the newspaper."

"He talked to the Smallville 'Ledger,'" he responded scornfully.

Dominic sat across from Lex. "He still talked. Not only to the paper, but to anyone and everyone who would give him time. Countless doctors and clinics have him on record; I've been scrambling for weeks, attempting to destroy the trail made between his doctors, labs, pharmacies, and the like. All because your father didn't think to kill him in the first place."

"Or make certain Earl received the proper treatment, courtesy of Dad's more private labs," Lex put in.

A shield slid over Dominic's eyes. "I will not tell you anything until an agreement has been reached."

"Well. It was worth a try."

Nodding, Dominic continued listing Lionel's offenses. "He's dumping chemicals, and not covering his tracks. He's experimenting on factory workers, and not ensuring anyone's silence. People are talking. Papers are disappearing. Soon, the rest of the world will notice, and Luthor Corp's reputation will be tarnished."

Rubbing his eyes, Dominic said, "I realize it is my duty to keep everything from becoming public. I am his assistant. But, I can do nothing if he doesn't start being discreet. If twenty people know that he has bought a stretch of land that he's using it to dispose chemical waste, and he cannot even tell me who those twenty people are, I can't guarantee their silence."

"Sounds like you have a problem."

"Yes. As do you."

Lex lifted an indifferent shoulder. "Yes ... and no. I have resources of my own."

"But you are still tied to him. And you are not receiving the information you need to defend your name successfully, or mount an offensive against him."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to take over the company."

Lex said nothing.

Rolling his eyes, Dominic said, "Very well. I believe you want to take over the company. But if you do not have accurate information about what your father is doing, you will not have the tools you need. I am the man who knows it all. I am quite aware that you have spies and contacts in the company. You can bribe and threaten as many others you like, but no one knows as much about Luthor Corp and your father as I do. You need me."

"Right," Lex said scornfully. "I need you. My father's toady. You abandoned your own family's company to work for Luthor Corp. Their rival. I need you? Because you're what, Dom? Trustworthy? Do you think I trust you?"

"No. You would be a fool to trust me. And you, Lex, are not a fool."

"So glad you noticed." He sipped his drink. "So, what is it, exactly, that you are offering? The keys to my father's kingdom?"

"In a sense. I will give you all the information you need about his activities: who he is talking to, what investments he has made. What he has left hanging. You can do what you wish with the information."

Lex took another sip. "And what do I give you in return?"

"A salary we agree on, future protection from your father, and a place in the company when you take over. A position with power."

Finishing his drink, Lex ran Dominic's offer over in his mind. If Dominic was being honest with him, it wasn't a bad deal. Dominic was a good businessman, efficient and smart. But ... Lex had no way to guarantee that this wasn't some sort of elaborate set up.

"What brought this on, Dom? You're usually slower to pick up on a dying relationship than this. At least, you're usually too hesitant to act on it. Have you actually grown a backbone?"

A muscle in Dominic's jaw twitched. "Victoria came to see me."

Lex sat up. "Victoria? She's in town?"

"Yes. And on business." His lips twisted bitterly. "Apparently, they can smell the sickness overseas, and it is strong enough for my dear, beloved stepfather to extend a hand to me. He's offered to bring me back into the fold, all my sins forgiven. Even the sin of being his wife's bastard."

Clearing his throat, Lex looked away. He couldn't believe Dominic was stupid enough to give Lex so much ammunition. Of course he'd known Dominic's history. His mother had been born to a good family, then almost ruined herself by having a child out of wedlock when she was nineteen. Her family forgave her, and took care of both her and Dominic. A few years later, she met and married Harry Hardwick, very old money, Lionel's most powerful business rival. Although Harry had taken Dominic in, the boy was never allowed to forget he was not one of the family. He was only a bastard, a mistake his mother had made.

It made it very easy for Lionel to steal him away. Lex had just never realized how much it had hurt Dominic until he saw the pain in his eyes just now.

"What does Harry want from you?" Lex asked after a moment.

"The same thing that I am offering you. All of us, Harry, Victoria, you, and I, understand that this is the time to shift alliances. To consolidate ties, merge companies."

"Take over the world." Lex's voice was mildly mocking.

Dominic smiled. "Harry wants Luthor Corp. Victoria wants her father's company. You ... can have it all."

"Why me?"

"You're the one I have faith in. The right mix of ruthlessness, brilliance, and something else that none of them have." He raised an eyebrow. "I think you may actually have the ability to succeed. Which is why I want to join with you."

Lex gazed steadily back at Dominic. "How can I trust you?"

"Do you think I would come to you without a gift?" Dominic rose and walked to his desk. "Your father was planning to have Jonathan Kent's son taken from him. I've been doing the prep work for about a week, now." Picking up a file, he returned to Lex. "He was going to use his contacts and influence to make it appear that Clark Kent had been kidnapped when he was a child, and, therefore, not legally adopted. I took the papers so it would be harder to prove his identity." His lips twitched. "Lionel did not intend to have him taken away permanently, just long enough to scare them. Him. Jonathan."

"Why?"

Dominic shook his head. "He didn't tell me his reasons; he only told me to begin the research. So I looked into it myself; they have a history together. Years ago, Jonathan somehow came under your father's protection. He ended up leaving Lionel, but, as you know, once your father stakes a claim in someone, he does not give them up lightly."

"Yes. I know."

He handed the file to Lex. "I looked through the Kents' records, had the boy's adoption papers taken from Social Services, then began investigating the validity of the records. That was when I decided to give the information to you."

Lex raised an eyebrow, taking the file. "Why?"

"All his papers have been falsified."

Mouth dry, Lex swallowed hard. Opening the folder, he leaned against the back of the couch. "Could you get me another drink?"

Dominic took Lex's glass and went to refill it. "His adoption papers are all legitimate; it's his past history that's not. His birth certificate, immunization papers, even his mother's death certificate are all forged."

Lex flipped through the file. Of course Dominic was right; Clark couldn't have existed before he ... came to earth. The Kents would have had to create everything. And, being as they were farmers of limited means, they couldn't have been able to afford much. A forged document or two that was just able to pass a cursory inspection, perhaps, but nothing too fancy.

"I was going to have the records cleaned for you. Tie up the loose ends, make them able to stand up to the most intense scrutiny. But I didn't think you would trust me."

"No. You're right. I wouldn't have accepted them." A thought occurred to Lex. "How did you get these?"

Dominic sat next to Lex, handing him the drink. "I have contacts who know people in Social Services. I am not a man without connections of my own." His foot pressed into Lex's.

"Then why do you need me?" Lex closed the file, placing it on the cushion next to him. He turned to face Dominic.

"I do have connections. I am not without means, nor intelligence. But I am not you. Nor am I your assistant. My intelligence is similar to my sister's, but I have my limitations. Cleverness is not brilliance. I am strong as a follower; nothing as a leader."

Dominic licked his lips, took a deep breath, then said, "It took me a long time to realize this, but I have come to terms with it. I will never be more than a possession. A bauble, owned by people smarter and more powerful than I." Dominic lightly touched Lex's arm. "You know the feeling; it's the same for you. The difference between the two of us, though, is one day, you will break free of your father. If I wished, I could walk away, work for lesser men, and be free. But I am driven by my ambition. I can't leave, and have no real wish to. So, I am a tool to be passed between two corporations, and will never be free."

Leaning forward, Dominic began to straighten Lex's collar. "Lionel stole me from my stepfather. He approached me as I was leaving Harry's offices, wined me, dined me, and offered me a job. A new life, away from Harry. Now, Harry wants me back. He will approach you too, you know."

Lex smiled. "Bring him on."

"He'll send my sister." His fingers were frozen, pressed on the underside of the collar; his eyes, hot and heavy, trapped Lex's.

Lex returned the look. "Probably." Lips twitching, he gently pried Dominic's fingers off his shirt. They tangled briefly before Lex pulled away, leaning back casually. "We were talking about you."

Dominic nodded, placing his hand on the back of the couch. "Yes. Harry wants me, and he is prepared to pay a great deal. Although he knows he will be getting a competent and hard-working businessman, he is mostly doing it to show Lionel he can take whom he wants. I will be a statement. A possession" His lips curled. "If Victoria takes over the company, I will be the same to her. Only, in this case, I will be the lost lamb, the misused half-brother that she so graciously accepts back. Protects and shelters." There was a cutting edge to his tone.

"And you don't want that."

"No. For two reasons. The first, as I have said, you are the one that I believe will really, truly succeed. You are more brilliant than any of them, and I have confidence in your abilities."

"And the second?"

Dominic took deep breath. "I want to decide my fate. That is all I have ever asked; it is the reason I left Harry in the first place. I have no wish to be used by people I have no faith in."

Lex's lips curled. "If you must to be used, you want me to use you."

Shrugging, Dominic said simply, "Yes."

Shifting, Lex cleared his throat.

He made a face. "It isn't as if I am signing my soul to you, Lex. I expect to be rewarded for my actions, and my loyalty to you. I realize I've made some mistakes in regards to you in the past, but, dammit, you are only twenty-one. I could hardly have been expected to beg to work for an eighteen year old college student, could I?"

"You could have asked for Damien's position."

"I thought about it, at the time. It occurred to me that it would be a good position."

"Why?"

Dominic didn't answer right away, but, during his silence, Lex could see the true answer in Dominic's eyes.

Damien had been right. Dominic did love him, or whatever passed for love in their world. A sort of desperate, twisted adoration, lust, and desire rolled into one.

It was surprising. And empowering. If he played his cards right, Lex could own Dominic; all he had to do was trust him. If he could trust him.

Clearing his throat, Dominic answered, "By the time your father was searching for an assistant for you, you had changed. You were no longer the teenaged rebel that you had been, the desperate sex fiend intent on ruining your life. You were different, Lex. The desperation had changed from that of self-destruction to an impassioned desire to succeed. To show the world who you were, and make a name for yourself. And it became obvious that you could do it."

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"Before I could, Damien stepped in. Whatever he did or said to your father was enough to convince Lionel to choose him. I lost my chance." He moved closer to Lex. "Now I have a chance again. A battle is coming, and you are the leader that I choose. You know it would be a beneficial arrangement. For both of us."

Lex raised an eyebrow. "How do I trust you? How do I know I'm not being set up?"

"You have your contacts within the company. Use them; see if I'm telling the truth. In the meantime, you have the papers. Fix them, and we will proceed from there."

Closing his eyes, Lex thought a moment. "You're asking me to gamble with my friend, you know." He opened them again. "Let's say I clean up Clark's file, make it all nice and legitimate looking. What then? If Dad puts his plan into action, I'll have to wait until after he does to take the file to Social Services. If they're gone, Dad will know that there was a leak somewhere, and it will be obvious that the leak is you. If he doesn't trust you, then you're no good to me. But if I don't replace the file, Clark will be taken away from his parents."

"Only temporarily."

"How temporary?"

"Two days at most. Long enough for Lionel to visit Jonathan Kent, and flaunt his power."

Lex sighed and shook his head. "I just don't know."

"Take the papers anyway; clean them up. I won't interfere. Think about my offer. I promise that, for the right amount of money and the promise of future security, I will not let anything happen to these people."

Nodding, Lex told him, "Then I'll think about it. In the meantime, remember: the fastest way to prove loyalty is to offer information for free."

Dominic smiled. "I've already purchased a phone for such a purpose. One that Lionel won't think to check."

Smiling, Lex touched Dominic's arm. "If my father isn't behind all this, you may prove useful after all."

Eyes dark with sudden desire, Dominic nodded. "I hope so." He leaned forward, lips pressing against Lex's.

Stomach seizing, Lex kissed him back for a moment, then pulled away. Clearing his throat, he fixed his eyes on Dominic's. "Sex isn't part of the deal, Dom."

Still close, Dominic said, "Really? Then you have changed."

"I don't trust you. Do you really think I would let you fuck me?"

Dominic ran his hand up Lex's chest. "You could fuck me."

Laughing softly, Lex shook his head. He captured Dominic's hand with his own and squeezed it. "Are you that hard up, Dom? Because I have a number ..."

"No." He lifted Lex's hand and kissed it. "I have numbers of my own." Dominic pulled away, resting his forearms on his thighs. His face was dark.

Lex ran his hand over his skull. "I'm not rejecting your offer," he said awkwardly.

"No. Just me."

"Just sex. I mean, you're more than your talent in bed." Such as it is, he added silently.

"Smallville has changed you."

Shrugging, Lex rose and finished his drink. Walking to the table, he poured another.

Dominic cleared his throat. "Did you really love my sister more than me?"

Taken off guard, Lex said nothing. Business and pleasure had always been so tightly intertwined for him, it was hard to remember that they didn't always have to be. Dominic's question could be an admission of weakness; on the other hand, it could just be a question from an old lover. An honest question. One that Lex had no right to use against him, as easy as it might be.

Taking a deep breath, Lex decided to let it be. He could live in the normal world, where personal relations sometimes had nothing to do with anything else, if only for a moment.

Turning back, he shook his head. "No," he answered honestly; he hadn't loved either.

The lines around Dominic's eyes eased. Whether he knew what Lex meant or not, it was obvious his question had been answered.

Setting his drink down, Lex smiled, business mask back in place. "Well. I have to go. I'm having lunch with Dad."

"Of course."

"You've impressed me, Dom. If you're offer is legitimate, that is. You've made a good choice. I'm a rising star; it's only logical that you hitch your wagon to me." He held Dominic's eyes for one more moment, then left.

It was time to face the dragon.  
***

Lionel was about to climb into his limo when Lex pulled up. Getting out of his car quickly, Lex all but ran over.

"Dad!" He winced, then tried again in a lower octave. "Dad. I thought we were having lunch."

Lionel brushed his hair back, and checked his watch. "Yes, Lex, we were. Unfortunately, something has come up. I've been called away on ... important business."

A lump settled unpleasantly in Lex's stomach at the obvious lie. "But ... you called this morning. I had to cancel my plans to come out here."

"And I fully intended to honor the invitation. Unfortunately, something has come up." He said it shaper this time.

"What? What's come up that's so fucking important?" Lex almost shouted.

Closing his eyes, Lionel sighed. "Do you remember Christina?"

"Christina Martin? Your mistress?"

"Yes. That one."

"Yeah."

"She attempted suicide early this morning. I have to go repair the damage before this gets out."

Lex closed his eyes. He'd never liked Christina; she was utterly false and horribly pretentious. Worse, she had a tendency to mother him, especially in public. But, she was high profile, one of the most powerful of Dad's mistress. She was even a shareholder in the company. If news of her suicide did get out, it would reflect badly on Lionel and Luthor Corp.

"Why?"

Lionel shrugged. "She heard that I invited Nell here for Christmas. Apparently, she was jealous. Afraid she was losing her place in favor of a small town girl."

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Is she?"

"I haven't decided," he answered with a ghost of a smile. "Now, I really must go." He started climbing in the limo.

Anger boiling in his chest, Lex turned.

His father's voice stopped him.

"Have you been well?"

Lex halted. Clearing his throat, he said, "Yes. I haven't even had a cold since the beginning of December. Just a couple asthma attacks."

"And ... you've healed all right?"

Closing his eyes against the humiliation, Lex nodded fractionally.

"Well. Perhaps sending you to Smallville was not such a bad idea after all." There was a long pause. "Good luck tonight."

Lex turned, but his father was already in the limo, hidden by the dark glass. The car started, and pulled away.

Sighing, Lex watched his father go. Shaking his head, he whispered, "Good-bye, Dad," then turned and walked into the house.


End file.
